“A Java Dev in an Agile World”

What I do

I am currently a Java developer in the Lansing, MI area. I have learned to develop within an Agile framework, specifically using Scrum’s framework. This environment requires me to be fully involved in the software development cycle: from gathering requirements, developing, demoing features, and testing. Within development I have created backend processes with groovy, use spring MVC in our application, use Oracle SQL for database work, and do some front end development as well.

Lansing, MI

Why SAMN?

I highly recommend that you watch BBC’s “Nature’s Great Events – The Great Salmon Run.” Salmon have one purpose in life – to swim upstream, spawn, and die. Fulfilling this purpose requires jumping through obstacles – literally. Not only do they have to swim upstream and against the current, they must dodge grizzly bears and killer whales and low river levels. Despite these obstacles, they jump over rapids (equivalent to a human jumping over a house), and use quick movements to reach their destination. They do not give up.

I never heard of computer science until our high school computer science teacher gave a presentation in my geometry class. I had never programmed or built a computer before, but what fascinated me was technology’s potential to change our lives. Since then, developing has been a constant battle of swimming against the current. Like salmon, I have to make myself vulnerable to get ahead. It is not fun to expose my weaknesses, admit that I am not the brightest, or deal with sarcastic comments about my intelligence. However, I have made it this far in life because I have not given up.

By the way, if you take the first 3 letters of my first name: SAM and the first letter of my last name: N and pronounce it: SAMN, it sounds like salmon.